Letter CCXXXVIII. To Pope Eugenics: his First Letter

(A.D. 1145.)

Bernard at once congratulates and condoles with the newly-elevated Pope.

To his loving father and Lord, EUGENIUS, by the grace of God, supreme Pontiff, his humble servant BERNARD, called Abbot of Clairvaux, sends greeting.

1. We have heard in this our country, and it is on the tongues of all, what the Lord has done with respect to you. Till now I have forborne to write, I considered the matter in silence. For I expected to hear from you, and to be pre vented with the blessings of sweetness. I was waiting for some faithful man to come from your side to tell me every thing in order, what was done, by what means, and in what manner. I was waiting to see if by any chance one of my sons should return to soothe the grief of his father, and to say: Joseph, thy son, is alive, and is ruler over all the land of Egypt (Gen. xlv. 26). Hence it is that this letter is not of free will, but of necessity, and is extorted by the requests of my friends, to whom I cannot deny the short remaining portion of my life. But as I have once begun, I will speak to my lord. For I dare not call you any longer my son, because the son has been changed into father and the father into son. He who came after me is preferred before me; but I feel no envy, because I am confident that what was lacking to me he will supply, who came not only after me, but also through me; for if you will let me say so, I begot you in -one sense through the Gospel. What, then, is my hope and joy, and crown of rejoicing? Is it not you before God? A wise son is the glory of his father (Frov. x. i). But henceforward you will not be called a son, but a new name will be given you which the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Is. Ixii. 2). This change is of the right hand of the Most High, and many shall rejoice in this change. For as formerly Abram was changed to Abraham (Gen. xvii. 5), Jacob to Israel (Gen. xxxii. 28), and, to mention your pre decessors, Simon was changed to Cephas (S. John i. 42), Saul to Paul (Acts xiii. 9), so my son Bernard, by what I hope is a joyous and beneficial translation, has been pro moted to my Father Eugenius. This is the linger of God raising up the poor out of the dust, and lifting up the beggar from the dunghill, that he may sit with princes and may inherit the throne of glory.

2. It now remains that, since this change has taken place in you, the bride of your Lord who has been entrusted to jour care may be changed for the better, and that no longer Sarai but Sarah¹ shall she be called (Gen. xvii. 15). Under stand what I say; for God shall give you understanding. If you are the friend of the Bridegroom, do not say, " His beloved is my princess," but " His beloved is a princess." Claim nothing of hers as your own, except Jthat for her, if need be, you ought to lay down your life. If Christ has sent you, you will feel that you have come not to be ministered unto, but to minister; and to minister not only of your substance, but, as I said before, your life itself. A true successor of Paul will say with Paul, Not because we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy (2 Cor. i. 23). The heir of Peter will listen to Peter, who says: Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock (i S. Peter v. 3). For by so doing it will no longer be as a handmaiden but as a freewoman, full of beauty, that the Bride will be admitted into the welcome embrace of her most glorious Bridegroom. By whom else if not by you is this freedom that is her due to be hoped for? By none, if you too (which God forbid), seek in the heritage of God the things which are your own, after having long ago learnt not to call anything your own which belongs to you, no, not even yourself.

3. Therefore, having such confidence in you as she seems to have had for a long time in none of your predecessors, the whole assembly of the saints everywhere rightly rejoices, and boasts herself in the Lord; and specially she whose womb bore you, and whose breasts you sucked. May I not, too, rejoice with them that do rejoice? Shall I not be one of the number of those who are glad? 1 rejoiced, but it was, I confess, with trembling. I rejoiced, but in the very moment of my rejoicing fear and trembling came upon me. For though I have laid aside the name of father, I have not laid aside a father's fear, or anxiety, least of all the affection and heart of a father. I look at the height and I fear a fall. I look at the height of your dignity, and I see the mouth of the abyss that lies beneath you. I notice the loftiness of your honour, and I shudder at the danger close at hand, because of that which is written: Man being in honour hath no understanding (Ps. xlix. 12). Which saying, I think, is to be referred rather to the cause than the time, so that we are to under stand it to mean that when he is in honour he has no under standing, because the consciousness of his honour has swallowed up his understanding.

4. And, indeed, you had chosen to be a doorkeeper in the house of God, and to sit in the lowest room at his banquet, but it has pleased Him Who invited you to say: Friend, come up higher (S. Luke xiv. 10). And as you have ascended on high, be not high-minded, but fear, lest perchance it happen to you to utter at last that piteous cry, From the face of Thy indignation and wrath Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down (Ps. eu. 10). You have obtained, it is true, a higher place, but not a safer; a loftier, not a more secure. Terrible, indeed, a terrible position is it. The place, I mean, where you are standing is holy ground, it is the place of Peter, it is the place of the Prince of the Apostles, where his feet have stood. It is the place of him whom the Lord made lord of His house, and chief of all His possession. And if you should turn aside from the way of the Lord, recollect that he was buried in the same place that he may be for a testimony against you. Deservedly was the Church entrusted to such a shepherd, to such a foster-father; for while she was still tender, still in her swaddling clothes, she was taught by his precept and educated by his example to tread under foot all earthly things, for he had kept his hands clean from every gift, and could say with pure heart and good conscience: Silver and gold have I none (Acts iii. 6). But enough of this.

5. The reason why I am writing to you before the time is this. The Bishop of Winchester² and the Archbishop of York do not walk with the same mind as the Archbishop of Canterbury; but they go contrary to him, and this is an old quarrel about the office of legate. But who is he, and who are they? Is not York'2 the same man who, while you were one of us, your brothers withstood to his face in your presence because he was to be blamed. But he has trusted to the multitude of his riches, and has obtained his way in his vanity. Yet it is certain that he has not entered into the sheepfold by the door, but climbed in some other way. If he had been a shepherd he was one to love; if a hireling to be borne with; but, as it is, he is to be avoided and re jected as a thief and a robber. What shall I say about my lord of Winchester? The works which he does himself they bear testimony to him. Moreover, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whom they are opposing, is a man of true piety and of mild character. On his behalf, I ask that his righteousness may answer for him, and that their iniquity may be upon them, as it is written: The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Ezek. xviii. 20). When you have an opportunity, recompense them after the works of their hands that they may know that there is a prophet in Israel.

6. Who will grant me to see before I die, the Church of God as in the days of old when the Apostles let down their nets for a draught, not of silver and gold, but of souls? How do I long that you may inherit the voice of him whose seat you have obtained! Thy money perish with thee (Acts viii. 20), he said. O voice of thunder! O voice of magnificence and power! at whose terror all who hate Sion are driven back and put to confusion. This voice your mother anxiously expects and demands from you; the children of your mother, both old and young, ask for it, sigh for it, in order that every plant which our heavenly Father has not planted may be uprooted by you. For you have been set over nations and kingdoms to uproot and destroy, to build and to plant. WThen they heard of your election many said: Now is the axe laid to the root of the trees (S. Matt, iii. 10). Many are still saying to themselves, "The flowers have appeared in our land, the time for purging is come, when the dead branches shall be cut away, so that those which remain may bring forth more fruit."

7. Be strong, then, and of a good courage; your hand is on the neck of your enemies. By constancy of mind and vigour of spirit show your right to the portion which the Almighty Father has given you above your brethren, which, too, he took from the Amorite with His sword and with His bow. Still, in all that you do, recollect that you are a man, and keep before your eyes the fear of Him who takes away the spirit of princes. How many Roman Pontiffs have you seen with your own eyes carried off in a short time by death! l Let your predecessors ever put you in mind of your own most sure and speedy death, and inform you of the short space you have to rule in, of the fewness of the days that you have to live. Amongst all the seductions of this transitory glory meditate constantly on your latter end, for, as you have succeeded others in the Apostolic See, so will you certainly follow them in death.

Footnotes

1. Sarai (rTO) = my princess, according to all the old commentators: whereas Sarah (nT\c)=a princess. — [E.] ↩

2. The Bishop of Winchester (A. D. 1129-1174) was Henry de Blois, nephew of King Henry, who had been formerly Abbot of Glastonbury . he was, therefore, naturally a supporter of his kinsman William. Theobald of Bee was at this time Archbishop of Canterbury; ep. 361 was written to him. The York trouble mentioned in ep. 235 had not yet been settled; for Serlo (MonasL Anglic. Vol. i. p. 747) says: " He was presiding over the Cathedral, and using the royal power against those who withstood him.'' Henry, Abbot of Fountains, and others summoned him before Eugenius, by whom he was deposed. His supporters sacked Fountains. See ep. 252. ↩